Martin's deals: Free sausage roll and coke!

Thursday 7 May at 8:11am

Shift debt to THREE YEAR 0% card, pensioner bonds closing, free sausage roll and Coke, cheap Odeon tickets and more. These are our Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis’ Deals of the Week.

Remember, deals can change quickly, even while I’m on the programme. So always double-check the terms and conditions before spending. Plus, while I hope these deals will save you cash, don’t spend if you can’t afford it, don’t need it, or won’t use it.

Web exclusive: Dorothy Perkins 25% off

Shop in-store or go online to Dorothy Perkins and you’ll get an automatic 25% off almost everything until Monday 11 May. Delivery’s £3.95 or you can collect in store for free. It applies to full-price items (excludes sale goods) and it can’t be used with other offers or on gift cards or vouchers.

Balance transfer price war

A balance transfer is when you get a new card that pays off the debts on old cards for you, so you owe it instead, but at a cheaper interest rate. As there’s less interest, more of your money clears the actual debt.

And over the last seven days, there’s been a huge battle to be top of the tables. These deals are for ‘new cardholders only’ – so if you already have a card you can’t usually shift debt to it – but this is great news as it means the more different providers there are offering deals, the more people can switch. For a full list of all the best buys and detailed help see Martin’s Best Balance Transfers guide. In short though, this week…

First POW, Virgin Money lowered its fee to match Barclaycard as the longest 0% deal, (up to) 36 months with a 2.99% one off fee of the amount you transfer (both 18.9% rep APR after). Then BOOM, Tescolaunched the longest no-fee 0% debt shift this decade, at 18 months (20.6% rep APR after). So KAPOW, you can make huge savings, as Sharon did: “Get in. I managed to shift store and credit cards, saving £4,700 interest.”

But remember to always obey the balance transfer golden rules:a) Repay at least the set monthly minimum, or you may lose the 0%.b) Aim to clear the debt or shift again before the 0% ends, or rates rocket. d) Don't spend on these, it isn't usually at the cheap rate. Withdrawing cash is worse and can hurt your credit score.

Warning: Pensioner Bonds close in eight days – get 4% interest

If you’re 65+ and have savings, these Government-backed savings, officially called ‘65+ Guaranteed Growth Bonds’ are a massive market leader, but they close on 15 May, here’s what you need to know:

- You can put up to £10,000 in a one year bond at 2.8% (on £10k that’s £280 pre-tax after the year) AND up to £10,000 in a three year bond at 4% (earning £1,250 pre-tax after three years).

- If you need to withdraw early, you can, but you’ll lose the equivalent of 90 days’ interest.

- You pay normal savings tax on interest (eg, 20% for basic rate payers). If you’re a non-taxpayer you can reclaim the interest after it’s paid.

- If you’ve already opened a bond and not done the full amount eg, you’ve saved £8,000 of the £10,000 for a one-year bond, you can still open a new bond for the remaining £2,000 as long as you go quick.

Martin’s quickies

- Free sausage roll and Coke Zero: If you go to a Greggs bakery you can get a free savoury snack and a bottle of Coke Zero (excludes concessions and Coke in Northern Ireland). Technically you can’t use both offers at the same time, so you may have to make a couple of trips. To get the sausage roll, cheese and onion roll or steak and stilton roll, download the Greggs app from iTunes or Google Play (if you haven’t already) and sign up to the rewards scheme by Tuesday 19 May. To get the free Coke Zero, download a voucher from Coca-Cola by Sunday 10 May and either print or show it on your smartphone, within two weeks.

- £12 for three Odeon cinema tickets: You can get three Odeon cinema tickets for £12 online at Groupon until 11.59pm on Monday 11 May (full price adult tickets can cost £3-£16, so this is only worth it if you usually pay more than £4). These can then be exchanged for a ticket at the cinema box office on the day of the film. A few cinemas and screenings are excluded so check these before you make a special trip.

- Sainsbury’s £20 off £60 online groceries: If you've never done your grocery shopping online at Sainsbury’s before, you can get £20 off your first £60+ shop when you enter the code AFFMSX58XX for shopping before 16 May. Delivery costs from £2.99 to £5.99 depending on the slot. There are a few exclusions so check before you pay.